


CIA Station Coffee

by sometimes_always (Leonora_Acker)



Category: Body of Lies (2008), Castle (TV 2009), Homeland
Genre: Attempt at Humor, CQ if you squint, Coffee, F/M, FBI agent!Beckett, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Team Bonding, Team Feels, mild FBI/CIA rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:27:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26794351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leonora_Acker/pseuds/sometimes_always
Summary: Hey! Why are you sharing our coffee with the feds?
Relationships: Carrie Mathison & Peter Quinn, Carrie Mathison & Roger Ferris, Carrie Mathison/Peter Quinn, Kate Beckett/Roger Ferris, Roger Ferris & Peter Quinn
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	CIA Station Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so excited to be back to writing attempted humor again!!!

Upon arriving at the United States Embassy in Islamabad, the one thing Special Agent Kate Beckett craved the most was coffee. She was tired and severely jetlagged from the long flight but made herself bear through the formalities, receiving a warm welcome from the US Ambassador to Pakistan, Martha Boyd. Her introduction to the CIA personnel she'd be closely collaborating with was scheduled for early the next day. In the meantime, she could get settled in her room, familiariaze herself with her new working environment and, of course, get as many cups of coffee as she needed.

The coffee from the coffee machine within the CIA Station was said to be the best intelligence officers could get their hands on in the whole of Pakistan. Even Martha admitted to indulging. She encouraged Beckett to try it out, assuring her it would be an effective remedy to the side effects of the flight. Beckett didn't have any task to see to that day and she'd rather actually do something than sleep. Once she'd unpacked and gotten settled in her room, she headed to the CIA Station for that coffee. She was well aware of the rivalry between the Agency and the Bureau but she figured she'd push her luck and show up unannounced– mainly because she had the clearance needed and, regardless of their personal feelings on her presence, the CIA officers couldn't kick her out.

The break room was empty when she entered. She fumbled aimlessly with the various appliances for a bit and took her time to examine the neatly arranged rows of cups before grabbing one at random and searching for a pot of coffee to fill it. Unfortunately for her, there was no coffee prepared beforehand, except for the black variety, which she generally didn't prefer. This meant she'd have to use the coffee machine, which was too complicated for her liking.

It was in that moment that two male CIA officers walked into the room. The one had a beard, sparkling brown eyes and his brown hair was smoothed back. The way he held himself he seemed to be experienced in navigating the world of espionage and political intrigue. The other man, who looked slightly younger, had brown hair as well, only lighter in color, blue eyes and a calm, composed expression that made him seem wiser beyond his years. Their surprise at seeing her there was obvious on both their faces, but the awkwardness vanished when they smiled and approached her. She smiled back. They, then, went on to introduce themselves. The older officer was Roger Ferris, the Chief's Deputy. The younger was Peter Quinn, the Chief of Support. She told them her name as well and they made small talk to break the ice, while waiting for the coffee to be ready– Quinn was far more adept in handling the coffee machine, she found out.

"So, you're new here?" inquired Quinn.

"Yes, I just transferred from DC".

"And what is it that you're here to do exactly?" Ferris asked with interest.

"Ambassador Boyd recently requested additional security personnel," Beckett explained calmly and professionally. There was no hostile reaction on their part, the new pieces of information falling into place to complete the bigger picture of the situation. If Beckett was being perfectly honest, she was starting to like them. However, their friendly little chat was rudely interrupted when the blonde female walked in.

"Hey! Why are you sharing our coffee with the feds?" she demanded an answer out of her fellow officers, annoyed, even offended.

"Carrie," Ferris tried to reason with the woman, "she's not _that_ kind of fed".

_Oh_ , so this was Carrie Mathison, the Station Chief, in the flesh. Having met her, Beckett could see why other Special Agents with experience abroad called her a ‘hurricane’. And she had known her for less than a minute!

"Oh, really? Because all feds seem one and the same to me".

_Well, that was harsh._

Quinn raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes in a signal to Beckett that said ‘tell her’.

Carrie's eyes were on Beckett now. The highly capable FBI agent hesitated. "Well... My role here is closer to what you guys do. I belong to a special federal task force operating overseas focused on counterterrorism".

Her answer didn't seem to please Carrie but she didn't comment further on the matter. Just as Quinn was about to hand Beckett her cup of steaming coffee, Carrie snatched the cup containing the object of Beckett's craving. Needless to say, Beckett was seeing red as the CIA Chief of Station taunted her by taking a slow sip and humming in contentment. But Beckett knew if she expressed her anger she would be glared up and down every time she entered the CIA break room for coffee. So, she swallowed her annoyance while Carrie gulped down another sip.

"Carrie you're being unnecessarily rude, you know. The coffee was for Beckett. Who is technically not a fed," Quinn openly expressed his disapproval of Carrie's actions, in the same tone one might talk to a misbehaving child. Turning to Beckett, he said: "Don't worry, I'll make you another".

Carrie put her cup down making a noise of disagreement and blocked his access to the coffee machine.

"Seriously, Carrie, how immature and stubborn can you be?"

Ferris snorted. "History indicates _very_ ".

"Shut up, Roger. The highest up you went was Acting Station Chief. At least, I'm a real one. Oh, and I didn't get here being all sweet to Hani Salaam". To Beckett, those words sounded extremely insulting despite Carrie's playful tone and Roger smiling instead of scowling with hurt.

"Hani Salaam," Beckett said, repeating the information she'd memorized while preparing for the assignment, "head of the Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate".

"Hear that Carrie? Someone actually did their homework," Quinn jumped in to Beckett's defence.

"Hear _what_? I thought she was just reading a section of the magic federal database off a giant screen".

"What is it that we call you? Drone Queen? We should probably change that to Snarky Queen," Ferris cut in as well, in the same spirit as Quinn.

She waved her hand in front of his face. "Eyes on me, please. Pay attention to the emphasis. _Federal_ taskforce". She raised both her eyebrows. Roger rolled his eyes, as if it was something she did often. Apparently, rolling eyes was something that he did often too because she didn't appear discouraged. " _Fed_ ".

"We can rise above that, Carrie," Quinn said in an almost singsong voice, preparing Beckett's much awaited latte, "Roger, take your black coffee. Reasoning with her might as well take the entire coffee break".

"That bad, huh?" Beckett huffed under her breath. She couldn't help it. She knew them for, what, maybe five minutes and they seemed pretty okay, even kinda likeable. Despite her federal taskforce team having a longstanding grudge against the CIA for interfering with their cases, these guys had earned her respect just for putting up with Carrie. The blonde's head immediately snapped to face the brunette.

"Quinn, can I have a latte too if it's not too much trouble?"

Quinn glanced between Roger and her, both surprised and disbelieving. Beckett couldn't help but notice Roger had taken a step closer to her. He retreated once their eyes met and he realized the proximity. He even mouthed ‘sorry’, obviously despite himself. She contemplated smiling to reassure him it was fine but chose not to. It was still too early. She needed a few more days to figure out their play– including Roger's. He averted his gaze, but she had definitely caught him staring. Carrie was glaring at her Deputy Chief as if he'd betrayed the homeland– which in her mind, Beckett noted, he might very well have.

"Here," Quinn said, handing her the coffee.

"Thank you," she replied, holding the cup with both hands, paranoid that Carrie might steal it from her again.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you," Roger chimed in, adding hesitantly: "... Kate?"

She scrunched up her nose. "I prefer Beckett".

"Beckett, then," he agreed, "It was a pleasure meeting you".

"Same goes for all three of you". A lot less so for Carrie, she thought, smiling at the other woman and receiving a sour smile in return.

"Don't be a stranger," Quinn encouraged her.

"No, we'll see each other around". They'd be working together actually, but she chose not to phrase it that way in front of Carrie.

"Especially since you've got the clearance". This time it was accompanied by a soft smile. Although, if you looked deep down, Quinn's eyes radiated pain. Beckett knew grief when she saw it.

She laughed reassuringly. "Of course".

Once she left, Carrie seized the opportunity to express her utter contempt. "What the hell was that? Did you just give her an all access pass to the entirety of my Station?"

"Wouldn't hurt to be friendly for a change, Carrie".

She was about to spit out a comeback right in Quinn's face when she caught Roger stealing glances at ‘federal agent but technically not a fed’ Beckett. _Not you too, Brutus._ She clapped her hands loudly next to his ear. His expression was a fine mixture of startled and annoyed. "Eyes on me, _Roger_ ".

~*~

A few weeks later, Beckett was on the rooftop, gazing into the lights of Islamabad on a starry night with clear skies and a pleasantly cold atmosphere.

"I don't mind if you join me," she said to Roger as he came to stand beside her.

"Wanna share your impression of Islamabad?" he asked with curiosity.

"I think I like it".

He chuckled. "Just wait till you've stayed here long enough".

"Speaking from experience?" she teased him with a smile playing on her lips, the green of her piercing green-brown eyes enhanced by the angle of the lights in the distance and the natural glow of the moon.

"What makes you think so?" he challenged her.

"I couldn't find any mention of you in the stacks of documents I had to read as preparation for the assignment. Your name and signature appeared only on the more recent ones".

"Okay, I'll answer your question on condition that you answer one of mine".

"Deal".

"What did you do before joining the feds?"

"I was a homicide detective in New York".

"You're quite the detective".

"Apparently. Now, your turn".

"Seems fair. I left the Agency for a while. I lived in Jordan, did normal stuff".

"A bad case of love?" She pointed at the wedding ring he wore.

"Terrible case of love. She's not alive anymore; she died in a bombing".

"The Amman city bus terminal attack?"

"Yes".

"I'm sorry".

They let a moment of silence stretch between them to enjoy the cool air until Roger spoke again:

"You know, while I was still working with the Agency, there were times I considered giving up. But every time I would remind myself of the victims of 9/11. How it must have felt like to be there, surrounded by flames and slowly, agonisingly dying alone. It's what kept me going until I left. Then, after Aisha was killed, the whole experience, the whole situation, it somehow became personal. It was like it hit home. This is what made me come back".

Since they were opening up, talking about their past and their motivation for choosing such tough careers, she decided to tell him her own story. "My mother was stabbed in an alley while she was on her way to meet my dad and me for dinner. The detective leading the investigation concluded it was a random incident of gang violence. I never believed it. I became a detective because of that; to seek justice for the victims and the truth for their families. When I received the offer of joining the special federal taskforce back in Washington, I immediately thought it was my chance to do more".

"And how did you end up here? With all due respect, most feds I know would rather lose an arm than fill in as CIA Station security".

"What makes you think I'm like all the others?"

"Good point. I'll note that for future reference".

"Let's just say I was too eager to investigate a case my superiors didn't feel the same about".

"The grey zone, I get what you mean. But being here with us doing what you do and trying to do what's right is not going to be any easier. Prepare to dive headfirst into the grey".

"No one can say you didn't warn me".

They shared a laugh, then stayed silent for a moment, enjoying the night aura and watching the lights flicker. Roger broke the silence once more with a tentatively personal question:

"I was wondering– if I'm not being invasive, that is–"

"Trust me, if you were being invasive, this conversation wouldn't have gotten very far".

"I'll take this as ‘continue’. Do you have a life outside of your work?"

"No, I don't have the time. What about you?"

"I have a daughter; she's four. Her name is Yasmine. Sadly, the job leaves me much less time to devote to her than I would like".

"You know, Roger, if _I_ am not being invasive, I would love to see pictures of her sometime".

"Call it a done deal".

~*~

Quinn and Roger were cornered. Their backs were literally against the wall, two very angry terrorists threatening them with guns. They didn't have any bullets left and no escape either. It didn't take a genius to realize there was no chance in hell they could climb the tall wall behind them. Suddenly, two shots rang out in the alley and their assailants went down with bullets in their kneecaps, groaning in pain on the concrete. It was Beckett that had saved them.

"Eyes back in their sockets, boys," she told them sternly upon seeing the ‘that was damn hot’ expression that momentarily flashed across both their faces. They recovered quickly, though.

"Yeah, keep flattering yourself like that, honey," said Quinn, trying to erase from her mind the idea that a hardened SOG paramilitary like him had needed saving.

"How did you find us?" inquired Ferris, skipping the comments altogether.

"My detective senses were tingling," she answered with a smirk.

"Really?" asked Quinn in a deadpan voice, incredulous and annoyed in equal measure.

"No," Beckett answered in the same deadpan tone, "General Khan called. Said you were in trouble".

"Un-freaking-believable!" Ferris huffed, running a hand through his hair, "Are you getting emails from Tasneem now?" he added while Quinn and he brushed past her on their way to her car.

Beckett rolled her eyes. Immediately, the realization of what'd been said hit her like a wave of electricity. "Wait, what?"

~*~

They were working late again that night. Beckett and Carrie were working side by side, reviewing a stack of files.

"Thanks for making it your call to save my coworkers' skin back there," Carrie said out of the blue, pausing her reading of the documents and lifting her eyes to make eye contact, "The boys are... they are important members of this team but they don't always know what's best for them".

"You shouldn't be thanking me for what is essentially my job. And– technically– they're my colleagues too," Beckett gave a kind and appropriately formal response.

Carrie didn't say anything in reply to that, simply nodded and the two women shared a look of understanding. "It's going to be a long night," said Carrie after a while, "Wanna get some coffee?" she offered, standing up.

Beckett was unable to suppress the small smile that crept on her lips. "Yes, sure".

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. The title, _CIA Station Coffee_ , is a play on the phrase ‘CIA Station Chief’.
> 
> 2\. Beckett's line “No, General Khan called” is a joke. The actor who plays Khan and Stana Katic, who plays Beckett in _Castle_ , starred in the 2016 movie _Rendezvous_ , the events of which take place in Jordan (where Roger Ferris served as Station Chief).
> 
> 3\. Roger calling Carrie a ‘snarky queen’ is a reference to Sara calling her that while presenting a compilation of lines on Hell Yeah Homeland.
> 
> 4\. There's a thoroughly entertaining story behind how the idea for this fic was born. Anyone who wants to know about it, just leave a comment!
> 
> SEE YOU SOON


End file.
